Kenilworth mother helping younger adults make new friends through new Facebook page

A Kenilworth mother-of-three is trying to encourage community spirit and foster friendships among younger adults through her new Facebook page.

Louise Hanson, 35, of Northvale Close, moved to Kenilworth six-and-a-half years ago from Liverpool for work.

But she found it difficult to meet new people, as she felt Kenilworth was a town where ‘everybody knew everybody.’

Louise said: “When my children started school, all the teachers had taught the parents of the kids.

“I found it hard to meet new people and to infiltrate already established friendship groups which dated back to school days.”

“I made it my mission to make friends, to say hello when I was out and about, chat to customer service staff and bar tenders.

“I was determined to make sure I felt included in this town where I was bringing up my family and putting down roots.

“When I did, I realised that there were lots of people like me who felt alone in Kenilworth, despite the community feel the town has.”

Although Louise was able to make friends eventually, she wanted to make it easier for other younger people.

Just before Christmas last year, Louise set up her Facebook page ‘Kenilworth Vibes’ to encourage people to organise meet-ups, share their stories and keep in touch with each other.

She added: “Our town is going through more expansion and changes than ever before, and with the community growing and growing I wanted to find a way to ensure the community stayed tight, bringing together people new to Kenilworth with the existing long-standing members of the community.”